Information processing device, information processing method, and program

ABSTRACT

[Object] To propose, in the case of sharing information generated by performing bodily movements or the like with others, an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program capable of suppressing the transmission to others of information generated by inappropriate bodily movements or the like. [Solution] An information processing device according to the present disclosure includes: an acquisition unit that acquires a recognition result indicating at least one of a user movement or state recognized by a recognition unit utilizing a detection result from one or a plurality of sensors; and a control unit that, in a case of determining that the recognition result indicates a specific user movement or state, controls a degree of reflection in which information related to the specific user movement or state is reflected in notification information that transmits the information related to the specific user movement or state to a target different from the user, in accordance with the target.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to an information processing device, aninformation processing method, and a program.

BACKGROUND ART

Recently, with the development of information processing technology,there has been remarkable progress in virtual reality (VR) technology,particularly in head-mounted display (HMD) technology. By applying HMDtechnology to a game, for example, and having a user wear an HMD onone's head, the user becomes able to experience an immersive game. Insuch a game, a more immersive experience is made possible by controllingthe game using not only an ordinary game pad, but also bodily movements(for example, see Patent Literature 1 below).

CITATION LIST Patent Literature

Patent Literature 1: JP 2012-79177A

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION Technical Problem

However, if these VR technologies are used, in a video sharing systemthat shares a video being viewed by a certain user with other users inremote locations, an online game, or the like, bodily movements aretransmitted directly to the other users. For this reason, in cases inwhich a user involuntarily performs movements or the like whichpotentially make other users uncomfortable, there is a possibility thatsuch movements will be transmitted to the other users.

For this reason, in the case of sharing information generated byperforming bodily movements or the like with others, there is demand fortechnology capable of suppressing the transmission to others ofinformation generated by inappropriate bodily movements or the like.

Accordingly, in the case of sharing information generated by performingbodily movements or the like with others, the present disclosureproposes an information processing device, an information processingmethod, and a program capable of suppressing the transmission to othersof information generated by inappropriate bodily movements or the like.

Solution to Problem

According to the present disclosure, there is provided an informationprocessing device, including: an acquisition unit that acquires arecognition result indicating at least one of a user movement or staterecognized by a recognition unit utilizing a detection result from oneor a plurality of sensors; and a control unit that, in a case ofdetermining that the recognition result indicates a specific usermovement or state, controls a degree of reflection in which informationrelated to the specific user movement or state is reflected innotification information that transmits the information related to thespecific user movement or state to a target different from the user, inaccordance with the target.

In addition, according to the present disclosure, there is provided aninformation processing method, including: acquiring a recognition resultindicating at least one of a user movement or state recognized by arecognition unit utilizing a detection result from one or a plurality ofsensors; and controlling, in a case of determining that the recognitionresult indicates a specific user movement or state, a degree ofreflection in which information related to the specific user movement orstate is reflected in notification information that transmits theinformation related to the specific user movement or state to a targetdifferent from the user, in accordance with the target.

In addition, according to the present disclosure, there is provided aprogram for a computer able to acquire a recognition result by arecognition unit that recognizes at least one of a user movement orstate utilizing a detection result from one or a plurality of sensors,the program causing the computer to realize: an acquisition functionthat acquires a recognition result recognized by the recognition unitand indicating at least one of a user movement or state; and a controlfunction that, in a case of determining that the recognition resultindicates a specific user movement or state, controls a degree ofreflection in which information related to the specific user movement orstate is reflected in notification information that transmits theinformation related to the specific user movement or state to a targetdifferent from the user, in accordance with the target.

According to the present disclosure, a recognition result indicating atleast one of a user movement or state recognized by a recognition unitutilizing a detection result from one or a plurality of sensors isacquired; and in a case of determining that the recognition resultindicates a specific user movement or state, a degree of reflection inwhich information related to the specific user movement or state isreflected in notification information that transmits the informationrelated to the specific user movement or state to a target differentfrom the user is controlled in accordance with the target.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

According to the present disclosure as described above, in the case ofsharing information generated by performing bodily movements or the likewith others, it is possible to suppress the transmission to others ofinformation generated by inappropriate bodily movements or the like.

Note that the effects described above are not necessarily limitative.With or in the place of the above effects, there may be achieved any oneof the effects described in this specification or other effects that maybe grasped from this specification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram that schematically illustrates aninformation processing system according to a first embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 2A is an explanatory diagram that schematically illustrates anexample of the functions of an information processing system accordingto the embodiment.

FIG. 2B is an explanatory diagram that schematically illustrates anexample of the functions of an information processing system accordingto the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration ofa platform that cooperates with an information processing deviceaccording to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration ofan information processing device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 5A is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example ofinappropriate information focused on by an information processing deviceaccording to the embodiment.

FIG. 5B is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example ofinappropriate information focused on by an information processing deviceaccording to the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a method of recognizinginappropriate information focused on by an information processing deviceaccording to the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration ofa control unit provided in an information processing device according tothe embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration ofa reflected content determination unit provided in an informationprocessing device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a determination processin a reflected content determination unit according to the embodiment.

FIG. 10A is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of aninformation correction process in an information correction unitprovided in an information processing device according to theembodiment.

FIG. 10B is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of aninformation correction process in an information correction unitprovided in an information processing device according to theembodiment.

FIG. 10C is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of aninformation correction process in an information correction unitprovided in an information processing device according to theembodiment.

FIG. 10D is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of aninformation correction process in an information correction unitprovided in an information processing device according to theembodiment.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining another example of areflected content determination unit in an information processing deviceaccording to the embodiment.

FIG. 12A is an explanatory diagram that schematically illustrates anexample of a display screen in an information processing systemaccording to the embodiment.

FIG. 12B is an explanatory diagram that schematically illustrates anexample of a display screen in an information processing systemaccording to the embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a flow of aninformation processing method according to the embodiment.

FIG. 14A is an explanatory diagram that schematically illustrates amodification of a platform according to the embodiment.

FIG. 14B is an explanatory diagram that schematically illustrates amodification of a platform according to the embodiment.

FIG. 14C is an explanatory diagram that schematically illustrates amodification of a platform according to the embodiment.

FIG. 15A is a flowchart illustrating an example of a flow of aninformation processing method according to the embodiment.

FIG. 15B is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a flow ofan information processing method according to the modification.

FIG. 15C is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a flow ofan information processing method according to the modification.

FIG. 15D is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a flow ofan information processing method according to the modification.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardwareconfiguration of an information processing device according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

MODE(S) FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, (a) preferred embodiment(s) of the present disclosure willbe described in detail with reference to the appended drawings. In thisspecification and the appended drawings, structural elements that havesubstantially the same function and structure are denoted with the samereference numerals, and repeated explanation of these structuralelements is omitted.

Hereinafter, the description will proceed in the following order.

1. First Embodiment

-   -   1.1. Information processing system        -   1.1.1. Overall structure of information processing system        -   1.1.2. Configuration of platform    -   1.2. Information processing device    -   1.3. Information processing method    -   1.4. Modifications

2. Hardware configuration

First Embodiment <Information Processing System>

First, a configuration of an information processing system according toa first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described brieflywith reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram that schematically illustrates aninformation processing system according to a first embodiment of thepresent disclosure. FIGS. 2A and 2B are explanatory diagrams thatschematically explain an example of the functions of an informationprocessing system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a blockdiagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a platform thatcooperates with an information processing device according to thepresent embodiment.

[Overall Structure of Information Processing System]

As illustrated schematically in FIG. 1, the information processingsystem 1 according to the present embodiment is made up of aninformation processing device 10 and multiple platforms 20A, 20B, and soon (hereinafter, the multiple platforms may be designated the “platforms20”), which are connected to each other over a public network 3 such asthe Internet.

The information processing device 10 according to the present embodimentis a device that mediates the bidirectional transmission of informationbetween users with regard to information being shared by multiple usersvia each of the platforms 20. As described in detail later, theinformation processing device 10 executes a certain application, such asan online game, for example, thereby creating a virtual space on thenetwork 3. Via this virtual space, multiple users may share information.Also, as described in detail later, the information processing device 10executes an application causing video data related to a space beingviewed by a certain user to be shared with other users present in aremote location, thereby enabling multiple users to share informationover the network 3.

The detailed configuration and functions of the information processingdevice 10 will be described in further detail later.

The platform 20 possessed by each user is a computer provided withhardware and software for sharing information via the respectiveapplications implemented in the information processing device 10. Eachuser, by performing a user operation utilizing bodily movements or thelike with respect to the platform 20, is able to share information withother users via the information processing device 10.

Note that although FIG. 1 illustrates a case in which two platforms 20are connected to the information processing device 10 over the network3, the number of platforms 20 connected to the information processingdevice 10 is not limited to two, and obviously three or more platforms20 may also be connected to the information processing device 10.

Next, a specific example of a method of sharing information betweenusers will be described briefly with reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B.

FIG. 2A schematically illustrates a system for the case in which theinformation processing device 10 executes what is called auser-immersive application such as an online game, and therebyconstructs on the network 3 a virtual space such as the world in whichthe game is set. Via this virtual space, information is shared betweenusers. In this case, the information processing device 10 executes acertain application to thereby construct the virtual space on thenetwork 3. Also, each platform 20 executes a certain application that isable to connect to the application being executed by the informationprocessing device 10, thereby enabling access to the virtual spaceconstructed on the network 3, and enabling the sharing of informationbetween users via this virtual space.

The users possessing each of the platforms 20 perform user operationsutilizing bodily movements or the like, via components such as varioussensors 21 and a head-mounted display 23, which are connected to theplatform 20 in a wired or wireless manner. A bodily movement or the likeperformed by a user is detected by the various sensors 21, andinformation indicating a sensor detection result related to the user'smovement, state, or the like is output to the information processingdevice 10. Also, the platform 20 is able to acquire information relatedto sensor detection results not only from the various sensors 21directly connected to the platform 20, but also from various sensors inthe surrounding environment, from which the platform 20 is able toacquire information over the network 3 or the like.

Examples of detection results related to the user's movement or statedetected by the various sensors 21 are taken to include not onlydetection results related to the user's movement or state such as theuser's bodily movements, the user's facial expressions, and biologicalinformation about the user such as a perspiration state and pulse, butalso detection results related to the environment surrounding the user,such as smells, sounds, and vibrations of the user and the user'ssurroundings, for example.

The information processing device 10 according to the present embodimentrecognizes the information indicating a sensor detection result relatedto the user's movement, state, or the like output from the platform 20,and causes a recognition result of such information to be reflected inthe constructed virtual space. With this arrangement, other users becomeable to share in bodily movements performed by a user andcorrespondingly occurring phenomena in the virtual space.

Herein, the way in which the various sensors 21 and the head-mounteddisplay 23 are implemented is not particularly limited. The varioussensors 21 and the head-mounted display 23 may exist individually, or ahead-mounted display 23 in which the various sensors 21 are built in mayexist. Also, the devices by which a user performs input operations arenot limited to devices such as the various sensors 21 and thehead-mounted display 23, and any of various types of wearable devicesare also usable as input devices.

In addition, specific examples of the various sensors 21 are notparticularly limited, and may include, for example, any of various typesof cameras, including range imaging cameras, infrared cameras, and thelike, a motion sensor such as an acceleration sensor or a gyro sensor,an illuminance sensor, a barometric pressure sensor, an odor sensor, asound sensor such as a microphone, a vibration sensor, and biologicalsensors capable of detecting various biological information, includingperspiration, pulse, and the like.

FIG. 2B schematically illustrates a system for the case in which theinformation processing device 10 executes an application that sharesvideo data between users. Via this application, information is sharedbetween users. In this case, the information processing device 10executes a certain application to thereby record imaging data related toa space being viewing by a user and transmitted from a certain platform20, and also mediate intercommunication between the platforms 20.Additionally, each platform 20 executes a certain application to therebyshare video data via the information processing device 10, and performoperations individually on video data.

Each of the users possessing each of the platforms 20 views a space inwhich the user exists while wearing the various sensors 21 connected tothe platform 20 in a wired or wireless manner, thereby generating videodata related to the space and other sensor detection data related to thespace. Information indicating a sensor detection result related to thespace being viewed by the user is output to the information processingdevice 10. With this arrangement, other users become able to share invarious information related to the space being viewed by a certain user.

The above thus briefly describes an overall configuration of theinformation processing system 1 according to the present embodiment withreference to FIGS. 1 to 2B.

[Configuration of Platform]

Next, an example of the configuration of the platform 20 constitutingthe information processing system 1 according to the present embodimentwill be described briefly with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a blockdiagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a platform thatcooperates with an information processing device according to thepresent embodiment.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, for example, the platform 20 according to thepresent embodiment mainly is provided with a central control unit 201, asensor output acquisition unit 203, a communication control unit 205, anoutput control unit 207, and a storage unit 209.

The central control unit 201 is realized by components such as a centralprocessing unit (CPU), read-only memory (ROM), and random access memory(RAM), for example. The central control unit 201 is a processing unitthat centrally controls the various functions and operations executed inthe platform 20. The central control unit 201 executes variousapplications stored in components such as the storage unit 209 describedlater, for example, and thereby can cause the platform 20 to realize afunction corresponding to the application. At this time, the centralcontrol unit 201 executes various applications in the platform 20 whileappropriately referencing information such as setting data stored in thestorage unit 209 or the like.

The central control unit 201 acquires information about a user operationperformed by bodily movements or the like acquired by the sensor outputacquisition unit 203 described later, and controls the execution of anapplication in accordance with the user operation, while also outputtinginformation related to the acquired sensor output results to theinformation processing device 10 via the communication control unit 205described later. Also, the central control unit 201 causes output fromthe information processing device 10 acquired via the communicationcontrol unit 205 to be reflected in the execution of an application,while also outputting application execution results to the user via theoutput control unit 207 described later.

The sensor output acquisition unit 203 is realized by components such asa CPU, ROM, RAM, an input device, and a communication device, forexample. The sensor output acquisition unit 203 acquires sensor outputdata related to at least one of the user's movement or state detected bythe various sensors 21 as described above. The sensor output data fromthe various sensors 21 acquired by the sensor output acquisition unit203 is output to the central control unit 201, and used to control thevarious applications being executed by the central control unit 201.Also, the sensor output data is output to the information processingdevice 10 via the central control unit 201 and the communication controlunit 205.

The communication control unit 205 is realized by components such as aCPU, ROM, RAM, and a communication device, for example. Thecommunication control unit 205 is a processing unit that controlscommunication between the platform 20 and the information processingdevice 10 over the network 3. Via the communication control unit 205,the central control unit 201 becomes able to output various types ofdata and information, such as sensor output data and application settingdata set by the user, to the information processing device 10, andadditionally acquire various types of data and information from theinformation processing device 10.

The output control unit 207 is realized by components such as a CPU,ROM, RAM, an output device, and a communication device, for example. Theoutput control unit 207 is a processing unit that controls theoutputting of various types of data and information output from thecentral control unit 201 to output devices capable of transmittingsensory information to the user. Such output devices may be, forexample, the various sensors 21 or the like, the head-mounted display23, any of various types of a display 25, and other output devices 27,such as speakers and a tactile display, which are connected to theplatform 20. With this arrangement, an execution result of anapplication executed by the central control unit 201 is provided to theuser.

The storage unit 209 is realized by components such as RAM and a storagedevice provided in the platform 20 according to the present embodiment,for example. In the storage unit 209, information such as variousparameters and the partial results of processes that need to be savedwhen the platform 20 according to the present embodiment conducts somekind of process, or other information such as various databases andprograms, are recorded as appropriate. Particularly, in the storage unit209, information such as entity data related to an application forcooperating with an application executed by the information processingdevice 10, setting data set for such an application by the user, and thelike is recorded. Components such as the central control unit 201, thesensor output acquisition unit 203, the communication control unit 205,and the output control unit 207 are able to conduct data read/writeprocesses freely on the storage unit 209 in which such variousinformation is stored.

The above thus illustrates an example of the functions of the platform20 according to the present embodiment. Each of the above componentelements may be realized using general-purpose members or circuits, butmay also be realized in hardware specialized in the function of eachcomponent element. Additionally, the functions of each of the componentelements may also be conducted entirely by a CPU or the like.Consequently, it is possible to appropriately modify the configurationto be used according to the technological level at the time of carryingout the present embodiment.

Note that it is also possible to develop a computer program forrealizing the respective functions of a platform according to thepresent embodiment as described above, and implement the computerprogram in a personal computer or the like. In addition, acomputer-readable recording medium storing such a computer program mayalso be provided. The recording medium may be a magnetic disk, anoptical disc, a magneto-optical disc, or flash memory, for example.Furthermore, the above computer program may also be delivered via anetwork, for example, without using a recording medium.

The above thus briefly describes the information processing system 1according to the present embodiment with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

<Information Processing Device>

Next, an information processing device according to the presentembodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4 to 12B.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration ofan information processing device according to the present embodiment.FIGS. 5A and 5B are explanatory diagrams illustrating an example ofinappropriate information focused on by an information processing deviceaccording to the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagramillustrating a method of recognizing inappropriate information focusedon by an information processing device according to the presentembodiment. FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an example of aconfiguration of a control unit provided in an information processingdevice according to the present embodiment, while FIG. 8 is a blockdiagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a reflectedcontent determination unit provided in an information processing deviceaccording to the present embodiment. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagramfor explaining a determination process in a reflected contentdetermination unit according to the present embodiment. FIGS. 10A to 10Dare explanatory diagrams for explaining an example of an informationcorrection process in an information correction unit provided in aninformation processing device according to the present embodiment. FIG.11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining another example of areflected content determination unit in an information processing deviceaccording to the present embodiment. FIGS. 12A and 12B are explanatorydiagrams that schematically illustrate an example of a display screen inan information processing system according to the present embodiment.

The information processing device 10 according to the present embodimentis a device that executes various types of applications, such as variousgame applications such as an online game, and the video sharingapplication described earlier, for example, to thereby enable thesharing of various information between users operating the platforms 20.Users perform input operations with bodily movements or the like withrespect to the platforms 20, but there is a possibility of a userintentionally or unintentionally performing a movement that makes otherusers uncomfortable, or a dangerous movement by which the individualuser could be identified. Accordingly, the information processing device10 according to the present embodiment collectively considers movementswhich could make other users uncomfortable and dangerous movements asdescribed above to be inappropriate movements or the like, andautomatically recognizes whether or not a user has performed a bodilymovement corresponding to an inappropriate movement. In addition, in acase in which an inappropriate movement as described above is performedby a user, the information processing device 10 according to the presentembodiment applies an appropriate correction to the informationcorresponding to the inappropriate movement, and then shares thecorrected information with other users.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the information processing device 10 accordingto the present embodiment that realizes functions like the above mainlyis provided with a recognition unit 101, a control unit 103, acommunication control unit 105, and a storage unit 107.

The recognition unit 101 according to the present embodiment is realizedby components such as a CPU, ROM, and RAM, for example. The recognitionunit 101 utilizes a detection result from one or multiple sensors thatdetect at least one of the user's movement or state, and recognizes atleast one of the user's movement or state. Such a sensor detectionresult related to at least one of the user's movement or state used inthe recognition process is transmitted from the platform 20 and acquiredvia the communication control unit 105 described later.

The recognition unit 101 utilizes the sensor detection result related toat least one of the user's movement or state transmitted from theplatform 20 to reference a database or the like regarding associationsbetween sensor detection results and the user's movement or state, andrecognizes the user's movement and state from the sensor detectionresult.

At this point, by a recognition process like the above, the recognitionunit 101 also determines whether or not an inappropriate movement or thelike described earlier has been performed by the user. Hereinafter,inappropriate movements or the like will be described more specificallywith reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B.

As illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B, inappropriate movements or the likefocused on the recognition unit 101 can be classified roughly into theuser's bodily movements, the user's facial expressions, movements or thelike related to the sense of sight, movements or the like related to thesense of touch, movements or the like related to the sense of hearing,movements or the like related to the sense of smell, the user'sbiological information, the user's personal information, and so on.

As illustrated in FIG. 5A, inappropriate movements or the like inassociation with the user's bodily movements may be the user's personalhabits, movements unrelated to the application, unpleasant physiologicalphenomena, physiological phenomena which are not particularlyunpleasant, insulting movements, nuisance movements, and the like.

Personal habits correspond to information which the user generally doesnot want other people to know about, and from the perspective of otherpeople, information that people would rather not see. Also, in the caseof certain personally characteristic habits, there is a possibility ofan individual being identified. Such personal habits are notparticularly limited, but may include movements such as fidgeting, bodyswaying, and touching a specific part of the body, for example.

If movements unrelated to the application are conducted by a certainuser while sharing information, there is a possibility that people whofeel uncomfortable may exist among the other people sharing in theinformation. Such movements unrelated to the application are also notparticularly limited, but may include movements such as touching adevice unrelated to the application, such as a smartphone, or eating asnack, for example.

Unpleasant physiological phenomena should be treated as inappropriatemovements or the like because there are people who feel uncomfortabledue to such phenomena. Such unpleasant physiological phenomena are notparticularly limited, but may include physiological phenomena such asburping and farting, for example. Additionally, although physiologicalphenomena such as hiccups and yawns are not unpleasant physiologicalphenomena, if other people perform such movements, the user may bebothered. Also, such physiological phenomena such as hiccups and yawnsare movements that the user wants to hide from other people if possible.

Also, movements as typified by the middle-finger hand gesture andbehaviors such as impersonating another person are to be avoided asmovements that insult the other person. Also, movements such asfollowing another person in the virtual space or continually repeatingthe same movement, for example, are nuisance movements. Such movementsare movements that typically make other people feel unpleasant.

Meanwhile, as illustrated in FIG. 5A, inappropriate movements or thelike related to the user's facial expressions include the user's cryingface, a bored-looking face, and an angry-looking face, for example.

Since the user may not want other people to see oneself crying, it ispreferable to treat a crying face as an inappropriate movement. Also, ifthe user makes a bored-looking face while sharing information, otherpeople will feel unpleasant, and the user will feel unpleasant if otherpeople become angry. Consequently, it is preferable to treat suchbored-looking and angry-looking faces as inappropriate movements.

As illustrated in FIG. 5B, inappropriate movements or the like relatedto the sense of sight include movements of directing one's gaze at aspecific target or darting one's gaze around, for example. Since theobject of the user's interest or concern can be inferred from themovement of directing one's gaze at a specific target, in an online gameor the like, for example, if the user performs such a movement withrespect to another character or the like, and the direction of the gazeis grasped by other people, another user may feel uncomfortable. Also,there is a possibility of being personally identified from darting one'sgaze around, which is not preferable.

As illustrated in FIG. 5A, movements or the like related to the sense oftouch include vibrations that exceed a certain strength and movements inassociation with continuous vibration. If vibrations that exceed acertain strength and continuous vibrations are shared with other people,there is a possibility of the other people feeling uncomfortable due tosuch vibrations. For this reason, it is preferable for such movements tobe treated as inappropriate movements or the like.

Inappropriate movements or the like related to the sense of hearinginclude mastication sounds, for example. If a certain user eats while inthe middle of sharing information via the application, it is conceivablethat mastication sounds will be detected. However, since masticationsounds are typically thought be unpleasant, it is preferable for suchsounds to be treated as inappropriate movements or the like.

As illustrated in FIG. 5B, inappropriate movements or the like relatedto the sense of smell include smells such as body odor or the scent ofperfume, and home odors or the smells of cooking. If such smells areshared with other people, there is a possibility that such smells willmake some of the other users uncomfortable. Consequently, it ispreferable for such smells to be treated as inappropriate movements orthe like.

As illustrated in FIG. 5B, inappropriate movements or the like relatedto biological information include the user's perspiration state andpulse. For example, in an online game or the like, if even the user'sperspiration state is reproduced, it becomes possible to lend evengreater reality to the virtual space, but there is also a possibilitythat some of the other people will feel uncomfortable. Also, few peopleare thought to feel uncomfortable by the sharing of a certain user'spulse, but by analyzing the pulse, there is a possibility of a diseasethat afflicts the user being identified or the user's age beingidentified, which is not preferable. Consequently, it is preferable forsuch biological information to be treated as inappropriate movements orthe like.

Note that since recent technological developments had led to significantprogress being recognized in technology for transmitting the senses andtouch and smell as well as in technology for transmitting biologicalinformation, in the present embodiment, the sense of touch, the sense ofsmell, and biological information as described above is also focused onas inappropriate movements or the like.

As illustrated in FIG. 5B, inappropriate movements related to personalinformation include information related to the user's livingenvironment, the user's name, and the like. For example, in the case inwhich noise or the like is detected around the user's residence, thereis a possibility of the user's residence being identified. Also, incases such as when one of the user's family members calls out the userby name or an object on which the user's name is written is depictedwhile in the middle of sharing information with other users via theapplication, for example, there is a possibility of the user's namebeing transmitted to other people. Accordingly, it is preferable forsuch information to be treated as inappropriate movements or the like.

Also, the information illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B is merely oneexample, and movements or the like other than those illustrated in FIGS.5A and 5B may be treated as inappropriate movements or the like.

To recognize inappropriate movements or the like as illustrated in FIGS.5A and 5B, the recognition unit 101 according to the present embodimentis able to use recognition techniques as illustrated in FIG. 6.

For example, as a recognition technique A, the recognition unit 101 isable to utilize a camera detection result. In other words, therecognition unit 101 is able to utilize a detection result from trackingthe user's motion, and by determining whether or not a target object hasentered into a target region, recognize whether or not a “personalhabit” or a “movement unrelated to the application” has occurred.

As a recognition technique B, the recognition unit 101 is able toutilize a detection result from motion sensors such as an accelerationsensor and a gyro sensor. In other words, the recognition unit 101 isable to determine the user's motion from detection results from thesemotion sensors. Additionally, the recognition unit 101 is able toutilize motion sensor detection results to learn the user's motions bywhat is called a machine learning process, and thereby predict andestimate a target movement. Note that the details of the motiondetermination process and the machine learning process are notparticularly limited, and it is possible to utilize commonly knowntechnology. By such a recognition process, the recognition unit 101 isable to recognize whether or not a “personal habit”, a “movementunrelated to the application”, an “unpleasant physiological phenomenon”,a “physiological phenomenon which is not particularly unpleasant”, an“insulting movement”, a “nuisance movement”, or the like has occurred,for example.

As a recognition technique C, the recognition unit 101 is able toutilize a camera detection result. In other words, the recognition unit101 is able to match a captured image that images the user's motion withan image of an inappropriate activity or the like, and performrecognition in accordance with the similarity of the matching. Such amatching process is not particularly limited, and it is possible toutilize a commonly known matching process. By such a recognitionprocess, the recognition unit 101 is able to recognize whether or not amovement or the like corresponding to a “personal habit”, a “movementunrelated to the application”, an “insulting movement”, a “crying face”,a “bored-looking face”, an “angry-looking face”, or a “name” has beenperformed, for example.

As a recognition technique D, the crossing point detector 101 is able toutilize detection results from environmental sensors existing around theplatform 20, and recognize a movement about to be performed, informationabout to be produced, or the like. For example, on the basis of adetection result from a kitchen illuminance sensor in the user'sresidence, it is possible to recognize a series of movements and states,such as cooking movements about to be performed, and in addition,cooking-related smells about to be produced. In addition, by such arecognition technique, the recognition unit 101 becomes able torecognize whether or not a movement or the like corresponding to“information about the living environment” or the like has beenperformed, for example.

As a recognition technique E, the recognition unit 101 is able toutilize a detection result from an odor sensor. In other words, therecognition unit 101 is able to utilize a detection result from an odorsensor to analyze produced odors, and sense whether or not a specificodor has been produced. By such a recognition process, the recognitionunit 101 becomes able to recognize whether or not a movement or the likecorresponding to “body odor or the scent of perfume”, “home odors or thesmells of cooking”, or the like has been performed, for example.

As a recognition technique F, the recognition unit 101 is able toutilize a detection result from a motion sensor or camera, and performrecognition on the basis of whether or not a feature from anacceleration sensor or a camera image repeats a certain value. By such arecognition process, the recognition unit 101 becomes able to recognizewhether or not a movement or the like corresponding to a “nuisancemovement” or the like has been performed, for example.

As a recognition technique G, the recognition unit 101 is able toperform a recognition process utilizing a detection result from amicrophone. In other words, the recognition unit 101 is able to learn orset in advance a specific wavelength or spectrum of unpleasant sound,and perform a sound-related recognition process by comparing a soundinput as a microphone detection result to the learned/recognizedcontent. With this arrangement, the recognition unit 101 becomes able torecognize whether or not a movement or the like corresponding to“mastication sounds”, “information about the living environment”,“name”, or the like has occurred.

As a recognition technique H, the recognition unit 101 is able toperform a recognition process utilizing a detection result from avibration sensor. In other words, the recognition unit 101 is able topreset a threshold value related to a maximum amplitude or an averageamplitude value within a certain time for a wavelength, and then performa recognition process related to the sense of touch on the basis ofwhether or not the maximum amplitude or average amplitude value for awavelength computed from a vibration sensor detection result exceeds aset threshold value. With this arrangement, the recognition unit 101becomes able to recognize whether or not a movement or the likecorresponding to “vibration that exceeds a certain strength orcontinuous vibration” or the like has occurred.

As recognition technique I and J, the recognition unit 101 is able toperform a recognition process utilizing a detection result from abiological sensor. In other words, the recognition unit 101 becomes ableto specify a perspiration amount from a detection result from abiological sensor (particularly, a perspiration sensor), and on thebasis of whether or not a certain threshold value is exceeded, recognizewhether or not a movement or the like corresponding to “perspiration”has occurred. Additionally, the recognition unit 101 becomes able toanalyze features from a detection result from a biological sensor(particularly, a pulse sensor), and on the basis of whether or not acertain feature, such as age or disease, is included, recognize whetheror not a movement or the like corresponding to “pulse” has occurred.

As a recognition technique K, the recognition unit 101 is able toperform a recognition process utilizing a detection result from acamera. In other words, the recognition unit 101 becomes able toestimate a gaze position from a camera detection result (that is, acaptured image) according to a commonly known method, and determined thedirection of the gaze. Herein, it is possible to estimate a gazeposition by a commonly known machine learning process. By conductingsuch a recognition process, the recognition unit 101 becomes able torecognize whether or not a movement or the like corresponding to“directing one's gaze at a specific target”, “darting one's gazearound”, or the like has occurred, for example.

In addition, the recognition unit 101 is able to conduct variousrecognition processes by appropriately combining several of therecognition techniques A to K as illustrated in FIG. 6. Furthermore, therecognition unit 101 is able to utilize commonly known recognitiontechniques other than the recognition techniques A to K as illustratedin FIG. 6 to recognize various movements, circumstances, states, and thelike.

After conducting processes like the above to recognize a movement,state, or the like of the user operating the platform 20 on the basis ofsensor detection results, the recognition unit 101 outputs informationrelated to the obtained recognition result to the control unit 103.

Returning again to FIG. 4, the control unit 103 provided in theinformation processing device 10 according to the present embodimentwill be described in detail.

The control unit 103 is realized by components such as a CPU, ROM, andRAM, for example. The control unit 103 centrally controls the functionsand operations of the information processing device 10 according to thepresent embodiment. Also, in the case in which a specific user movementor state is detected by the recognition unit 101, the control unit 103controls the degree of reflection, which is the degree in which theinformation related to the specific user movement or state is to bereflected in notification information transmitted to a different targetfrom the user focused on by the information related to the detectedspecific user movement or state, in accordance with the target.

More specifically, the control unit 103 corrects the content of theinformation related to the recognized user movement or state inaccordance with a recognition result from the recognition unit 101, andcauses information related to the corrected user movement or state to bereflected in the notification information. In other words, the controlunit 103 may select any correction from (a) to (d), which includes (a)to moderate the content of the information related to the user movementor state, (b) to replace the content of the information related to theuser movement or state with other content, (c) to conceal a portion ofthe content of the information related to the user movement or state,and (d) to conceal all of the content of the information related to theuser movement or state.

The control unit 103 that performs such a process includes a reflectedcontent determination unit 121, an information correction unit 123, andan application execution unit 125, as illustrated schematically in FIG.7, for example.

The reflected content determination unit 121 is realized by componentssuch as a CPU, ROM, and RAM, for example. The reflected contentdetermination unit 121 is a processing unit that references informationrelated to a recognition result output from the recognition unit 101,recognizes what kind of bodily movements or the like have been performedby the user of the platform 20 being focused on, and in accordance withthe bodily movements or the like performed by the user, and determinesto what degree information corresponding to the bodily movements or thelike is to be reflected with respect to a target other than the userbeing focused on.

Herein, the target other than the user being focused on may be, forexample, another user utilizing an application that provides a virtualspace shared among multiple users, the virtual space itself, or anotheruser utilizing an application that provides a video sharing function ofsharing a video of a space being viewed by a first user with a seconduser.

The reflected content determination unit 121 references informationrelated to a recognition result output from the recognition unit 101,and in the case in which inappropriate movements or the like asillustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B are not being performed, the reflectedcontent determination unit 121 determines that the information may bereflected without correction with respect to a target other than theuser being focused on. Moreover, the reflected content determinationunit 121 outputs the information related to the recognition resultoutput from the recognition unit 101 to the application execution unit125 described later as-is, and causes the information to be reflected inthe execution of the application.

Also, the reflected content determination unit 121 referencesinformation related to a recognition result output from the recognitionunit 101, and in the case in which inappropriate movements or the likeas illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B are being performed, the reflectedcontent determination unit 121 determines the degree to which theinformation is to be reflected with respect to a target other than theuser being focused on, in accordance with the performed inappropriatemovements or the like. Moreover, the reflected content determinationunit 121 outputs information indicating the degree of reflection onnotification information to be notified with respect to a target otherthan the user being focused on, and the information related to therecognition result output from the recognition unit 101, to theinformation correction unit 123 described later, and causes theinformation including inappropriate movements or the like to becorrected appropriately.

The reflected content determination unit 121 that performs suchprocesses includes an information type discrimination unit 131, arelationship determination unit 133, and a reflected content decisionunit 135, an example of which is illustrated in FIG. 8, for example.

The information type discrimination unit 131 is realized by componentssuch as a CPU, ROM, and RAM, for example. The information typediscrimination unit 131 references a recognition result output from therecognition unit 101, and first determines whether or not inappropriatemovements or the like as illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B have beenperformed. In the case of determining that inappropriate movements orthe like have not been performed, the information type discriminationunit 131 notifies the reflected content decision unit 135 describedlater of the determination.

On the other hand, in the case of determining that an inappropriatemovement or the like has been performed, the information typediscrimination unit 131 determines the type of information expressingthe performed inappropriate movement or the like. In other words, theinformation type discrimination unit 131 references informationindicating the recognition result related to the performed inappropriatemovement or the like, and determines which of the following fourcategories the relevant inappropriate movement or the like belongs to.

(1) A movement or the like that ceases to be inappropriate if the degreeof the inappropriate movement or the like is moderated

(2) A movement or the like in which the portion corresponding to theinappropriate movement or the like is replaceable with an appropriatemovement or the like

(3) A movement or the like for which it is possible to conceal only theportion corresponding to the inappropriate movement or the like

(4) A movement or the like for which it is not possible to conceal onlythe portion corresponding to the inappropriate movement or the like

The determination process into four categories as above is conducted ina flow as illustrated in FIG. 9, for example. In other words, theinformation type discrimination unit 131 references information relatedto the recognition result, and first determines whether informationrelated to an inappropriate movement or the like is included(Determination 1). At this point, in the case of determining thatinformation related to an inappropriate movement or the like is notincluded, the information type discrimination unit 131 determines thatit is sufficient to transmit the information related to the recognitionresult to other people without correcting the information (Process 1).

On the other hand, in the case in which information related to aninappropriate movement or the like is included, the information typediscrimination unit 131 next determines whether or not the movement orthe like ceases to be inappropriate if the degree of information relatedto the inappropriate movement or the like is moderated (Determination2). At this point, “moderating the degree” means an operation in which,when an inappropriate movement or the like is considered as a vectorquantity, for example, the direction of the vector is kept the samewhile the magnitude of the vector is decreased, such as softening thedegree of facial expression in the case in which an inappropriatemovement or the like related to a facial expression has been conducted(for example, as illustrated in FIG. 10A, correcting a fiercely angryfacial expression to a slightly angry facial expression) or the like,for example. In the case of determining that the information ceases tobe inappropriate if the degree is moderated, the information typediscrimination unit 131 determines that the recognition result beingfocused on is information categorized into (1) above, and determinesthat it is sufficient to moderate the degree and transmit theinformation to other people (Process 2).

On the other hand, in the case of determining that the movement or thelike does not cease to be inappropriate even if the degree is moderated,as with an “insulting movement”, for example, the information typediscrimination unit 131 determines whether or not the informationexpressing the inappropriate movement or the like is replaceable(Determination 3). At this point, “replacing” means an operation inwhich, when an inappropriate movement or the like is considered as avector quantity, for example, the direction itself of the vector ischanged, such as changing the facial expression itself in the case inwhich an inappropriate movement or the like related to a facialexpression has been conducted (for example, as illustrated in FIG. 10B,replacing a fiercely angry facial expression with a smiling facialexpression) or the like, for example. In the case of determining thatthe information is replaceable, the information type discrimination unit131 determines that the recognition result being focused on isinformation categorized into (2) above, and determines that it issufficient to replace and transmit the information to other people(Process 3).

On the other hand, in the case of determining that the inappropriatemovement or the like is not replaceable because no replaceableinformation exists or the like, the information type discrimination unit131 determines whether or not it is possible to conceal only theinformation expressing the inappropriate movement or the like(Determination 4). For example, as illustrated in FIG. 10C, consider thecase in which a hand gesture corresponding to an “insulting movement” isperformed as a bodily movement. At this time, in the case in which amosaic is applied to only the portion corresponding to the hand gesture,or the portion corresponding to the hand gesture is removed, butinformation is still conveyed as the information related to the user'smovement or the like as a whole, the information type discriminationunit 131 determines that the recognition result being focused on isinformation categorized into (3) above, and determines that it issufficient to conceal the information of the relevant portion beforetransmitting to other people (Process 4).

On the other hand, in the case of determining that it is not possible toconceal only the inappropriate movement or the like, such as in the caseof a gesture involving the entire body, or a movement that is too fastto be able to conceal only a portion thereof, for example, theinformation type discrimination unit 131 determines that the recognitionresult being focused on is information categorized into (4) above, anddetermines that it is sufficient to conceal all of the informationbefore transmitting to other people, such as by removing the entiredisplay of the inappropriate movement or the like, or stopping update ofthe display, as illustrated in FIG. 10D, for example (Process 5).

In this way, the information type discrimination unit 131 objectivelydetermines the movement or the like included in the recognition result,and discriminates the type of the information related to the movement orthe like corresponding to the recognition result. After thediscrimination result of information related to the movement or the likecorresponding to the recognition result is obtained, the informationtype discrimination unit 131 outputs the obtained discrimination resultto the reflected content decision unit 135.

Returning again to FIG. 8, the relationship determination unit 133included in the reflected content determination unit 121 will bedescribed.

The relationship determination unit 133 is realized by components suchas a CPU, ROM, and RAM, for example. The relationship determination unit133 is a processing unit that determines what kind of relationshipexists between the user being focused on and a target different from theuser being focused on.

In the reflected content determination unit 121 according to the presentembodiment, basically, the reflected content to other people ofinformation related to an inappropriate movement or the like is decidedby the reflected content decision unit 135 described later on the basisof preset setting information, and in accordance with the informationcategories (1) to (4) decided by the information type discriminationunit 131, until a degree is reached whereby an inappropriate movement orthe like no longer exists. However, in the case in which a certainspecific relationship exists between the user being focused on and atarget different from the user being focused on, it is preferable forthe reflected content decision unit 135 to make an exception and relaxthe reflected content to other people of the information related to aninappropriate movement or the like.

Accordingly, the relationship determination unit 133 references userinformation related to the user and setting information related to theapplication which are stored in the storage unit 107 or the like, aswell as information related to the execution state of the applicationobtained from the application execution unit 125 described later, anddetermines the relationship between the user being focused on and atarget different from the user being focused on.

Herein, suppose that various types of user information, including theexecution state or the like of the application for all users of theapplication (for example, an application that shares a virtual spacesuch as an online game), are held in the storage unit 107 or the like.

Also, suppose that all setting information related to the application,such as application setting information for the application executionlevel in the information processing device 10 and the platform 20 (thatis, basic application setting information for all users), andapplication setting information set individually by each user, is heldin the storage unit 107 or the like. Suppose that the settinginformation states static condition settings regarding inappropriatemovements or the like as illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B, for example,such as the degree to which information is to be reflected to otherusers in the case in which the user himself or herself performs whatkinds of movements, and the degree to which the reflection of suchinformation is to be received in the case in which another user performsan inappropriate movement or the like.

For example, in the case in which the application being executed in theinformation processing device 10 is a game, such as an online game, therelationship determination unit 133 references the user information forall users in order to reflect the user movement or the like beingfocused on, and is able to determine relationships between thecharacters which are the avatars of the users inside the application(that is, inside the virtual space of the game). In other words, in acase of successfully determining that a character A inside the virtualspace corresponding to a user A and a character B inside the virtualspace corresponding to a user B have been active together inside thevirtual space for a certain amount of time or more, and are charactersin a close relationship, the relationship between the user Acorresponding to the character A and the user B corresponding to thecharacter B can be determined to be close. In this case, regarding thedegree of information reflection between the user A and the user B, therelationship determination unit 133 can determine to relax the degree towhich the amount of information is moderated. With this arrangement, thedegree of reflection statically decided in advance on the basis of“setting information”, such as the degree of reflection of inappropriatemovements related to the user's facial expressions, for example, isprocessed exceptionally on the basis of the dynamic condition of therelationship between characters, until an allowable degree is reached inconsideration of the closeness of the relationship.

In addition, the relationship determination unit 133 is also able toreference user information as described above, and determine arelationship between users according to whether or not the user A hasset the user B as a “friend”, or determine a relationship between usersby focusing on various attributes such as age, gender, and the totalexecution time of the application, for example. In this case, therelationship determination unit 133 can relax the degree to which theamount of information is moderated for relationships and attributeswhich are closer as described above, and tighten the moderation of theamount of information for relationships and attributes which are moredistant. Likewise in this case, the degree of reflection decidedstatically in advance on the basis of “setting information” is processedexceptionally on the basis of the dynamic condition of the relationshipbetween users.

Note that the process of determining the relationship between charactersor between users as described above is preferably performedindependently for all users to which the user movement or the like beingfocused on is to be reflected.

In addition, the relationship determination unit 133 may alsodetermination a relationship between the user being focused on and theapplication itself. In the case in which the application being executedin the information processing device 10 is a game, such as an onlinegame, various events occur inside the virtual space of the game. In thiscase, the relationship determination unit 133 may also make adetermination to process the degree of reflection of inappropriatemovements or the like exceptionally, so that the mood of an event is notruined by user movements. With this arrangement, in the case in which asad event is occurring inside the virtual space of a game, for example,it becomes possible to control the degree of information reflection sothat even if a user performs facetious movements so as to ruin the moodof the moment, those movements are not reflected.

As above, the relationship determination unit 133 outputs adetermination result for the relationship between the user being focusedon and a target different from the user being focused on to thereflected content decision unit 135 described later.

The reflected content decision unit 135 is realized by components suchas a CPU, ROM, and RAM, for example. The reflected content decision unit135 utilizes the determination result by the information typediscrimination unit 131 and the determination result by the relationshipdetermination unit 133 to decide in detail the degree to which themovement or state of the user being focused on is to be reflected to atarget different from the user being focused on.

More specifically, in the case of successfully determining overall thatan inappropriate movement or the like is not being performed, and themovement or state of the user being focused on may be reflected to thetarget without being moderated, the reflected content decision unit 135outputs this result to the application execution unit 125.

Also, in the case of determining that an inappropriate movement or thelike is being conducted, the reflected content decision unit 135 decidesthe degree of information reflection while accounting for the type ofinformation related to the inappropriate movement or the like, andvarious relationships as described above.

At this point, the reflected content decision unit 135 basically decidesthe reflected content to other people of information related to theinappropriate movement or the like on the basis of preset settinginformation, until a degree is reached whereby an inappropriate movementor the like no longer exists. In other words, the reflected contentdecision unit 135 decides the reflected content (that is, the degree ofinformation correction) on the basis of the relationship between theparties exchanging the information, in accordance with the settinginformation of the user on the information-transmitting side, and thesetting information of the user on the information-receiving side.Additionally, the reflected content decision unit 135 may also decidesecondarily reflected content on the basis of not only the partiesexchanging the information, but also the setting information of a userwho simply shares in the information in a broad sense, such as a thirdperson or the like other than the parties involved in the game or thelike, for example.

In addition, the reflected content decision unit 135 may also decide thereflected content (the degree of information correction) as an exceptionin accordance with a dynamic relationship between the user and thetarget, or decide the reflected content (the degree of informationcorrection) on the basis of both the relationship between the partiesexchanging the information, namely, the setting information of the useron the information-transmitting side and the setting information of theuser on the information-receiving side, as well as a dynamicrelationship between the user and the target.

The reflected content decision unit 135, after deciding the reflectedcontent of information in this way, outputs the decided content to theinformation correction unit 123.

The above thus describes a detailed configuration of the reflectedcontent determination unit 121 with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10.

Note that in the above description, a case is described in which thereflected content determination unit 121 determines the reflectedcontent on the basis of only the content of a recognition result by therecognition unit 101. However, the reflected content determination unit121 may also determine the reflected content on the basis of the type ofplace (area) where a sensor detection result used in the recognitionprocess by the recognition unit 101 is obtained. In other words, in thecase in which the sensor detection result used in the recognitionprocess by the recognition unit 101 is not a result obtained in acertain place, the reflected content determination unit 121 may performa process so that the recognition result corresponding to the relevantsensor detection result is not reflected. For example, as illustratedschematically in FIG. 11, consider a case in which a virtual boundary ispreset on the basis of the positional relationship with the platform 20.In this case, the reflected content determination unit 121 is also ableto conduct a process such as utilizing only a recognition resultobtained from a sensor detection result detected at a certain positionin the space where the platform 20 is installed for the determination ofthe reflected content.

Next, returning again to FIG. 7, the information correction unit 123provided in the control unit 103 according to the present embodimentwill be described.

The information correction unit 123 is realized by components such as aCPU, ROM, and RAM, for example. The information correction unit 123corrects information related to an inappropriate movement or the likeperformed by the user being focused on, on the basis of a determinationresult output from the reflected content determination unit 121.

As described earlier, the correction process performed by theinformation correction unit 123 can be classified roughly into the fourvarieties of (a) moderating the degree of the content of the informationrelated to the user movement or state, (b) replacing the content of theinformation related to the user movement or state with other content,(c) concealing a portion of the content of the information related tothe user movement or state, and (d) concealing all of the content of theinformation related to the user movement or state.

In the case of moderating the degree of the content of the information,the information correction unit 123 adopts a correction method such as,for example, moderating the degree of a facial expression, reducing theamount of perspiration, preventing the character corresponding to theuser from following another for a long time, or applying a filter to acertain band of a waveform signal corresponding to sound or vibration.

In the case of conducting information replacement, the informationcorrection unit 123 adopts a correction method such as, for example,replacing an unpleasant movement with another movement, converting themovement to a template and replacing the information with normalizedinformation, replacing sound or vibrations with other sounds orvibrations or superimposing noise, or substituting in an imageindicating a facial expression or the like.

In the case of concealing part of the information, the informationcorrection unit 123 adopts a correction method such as, for example,applying a mosaic to a specific movement or facial expression, removingonly a specific sound or vibration, or removing specific features frompulse information.

In the case of concealing all of the information, the informationcorrection unit 123 adopts a correction method such as, for example,deleting or stopping the updating of the player if a specific movementis sensed, deleting all sounds for a certain period if a specific soundis sensed, or deleting all vibrations if a specific vibration is sensed.

Note that the correction process performed by the information correctionunit 123 is not limited to the four varieties of (a) to (d) above, andit is possible to appropriately combine any of the above four varietiesof correction processes to correct information related to aninappropriate movement or the like.

Note that people from different countries or cultures may responddifferently to the same information. For example, the movement ofraising the thumb from a closed first (a hand gesture used with themeaning of “good job” or the like) is a movement of praising anotherperson in countries such as the United States of America, but is amovement of insulting another person in Iran. Consequently, it ispreferable for the information correction unit 123 to conduct acorrection process as above while also taking into account the culturesof the users with which information is shared. Note that in order forsuch differences of culture and the like to be reflected in thecorrection process, a database or the like may be created in advance inthe storage unit 107 or the like, the database indicating whether or notdifferent meanings depending on differences between countries orcultures exist with regard to the information related to inappropriatemovements or the like, the information to use for replacement, and thelike. The correction process may then be performed by additionallyreferencing such a database or the like.

When conducting the correction of information, a case in which therecognized information and the information to be corrected are differentis also conceivable, such as “after recognizing a specific movement,correct information related to another movement or the like related tothe specific movement”. For example, in the case of recognizing amovement of “making a phone call”, it is conceivable not to correct theinformation related to the movement of “making a phone call”, but tocorrect (conceal) the spoken content of the phone call (that is, voiceinformation). With this arrangement, since the movement of a certainuser making a phone call is transmitted to other users, it becomespossible to share among users a state in which the other party is busy,and convenience for the user can be improved. Accordingly, for specificmovements like the above, for example, the information correction unit123 may also record a correction process for the case in which therecognized information and the information to be corrected are differentas an exception in a database or the like, and execute a morefine-grained information correction process.

In addition, for cases in which it is possible to determine from thestart a high possibility of personal information being included, likewith biological information such as pulse, for example, the informationcorrection unit 123 may be configured to conceal the informationregardless of the determination result.

The information correction unit 123, after performing a correctionprocess as above, outputs the corrected information to the applicationexecution unit 125.

The application execution unit 125 is realized by components such as aCPU, ROM, and RAM, for example. The application execution unit 125 is aprocessing unit that executes the application being realized as afunction of the information processing device 10 according to thepresent embodiment. Also, in the case in which user input from a certainuser is performed by bodily movements or the like, the applicationexecution unit 125 utilizes information output from the reflectedcontent determination unit 121 and the information correction unit 123to cause information corresponding to the user input to be reflected inthe application. After that, the application execution unit 125 causesinformation related to the execution state of the application with theinformation reflected to be transmitted to each platform 20 asnotification information via the communication control unit 105described later. With this arrangement, the users of the platforms 20connected to the information processing device 10 become able tocontinuously grasp notification information obtained from theapplication being executed in the information processing device 10.

Note that in the case in which a correction of the information reflectedin the application is performed by the information correction unit 123according to the present embodiment because of bodily movements or thelike performed by a certain user, the application execution unit 125 mayalso be configured to notify users that a correction has been conducted.The specific method of such a notification is not particularly limited.For example, the application execution unit 125 may cause an object suchas an icon indicating that a correction has been conducted to bedisplayed on a display screen of the platform 20.

An example of such an example is illustrated in FIGS. 12A and 12B,taking as an example a case in which an online game is being executed asthe application. In the example illustrated in FIG. 12A, in a userinformation display region provided on a display screen of the platform20, a reflection degree presentation object, which is an objectindicating the degree of information reflection, is displayed as anobject indicating that a correction has been conducted. This reflectiondegree presentation object is an object using arrows, and indicates thedegree to which information is being moderated between the user lookingat the display screen and other users. For example, the right-pointingarrow indicates the degree of reflection for information beingtransmitted from another user to oneself, while the left-pointing arrowindicates the degree of reflection for information being transmittedfrom oneself to another user. This object is set so that the size of therelevant arrow becomes shorter the more the information beingtransmitted and received is moderated. By displaying such an object, theuser becomes able to easily determine whether or not information isbeing moderated by the information processing device 10.

Also, a reflection degree presentation object as illustrated in FIG. 12Aobviously may be displayed not only in the user information displayregion of the display screen, but also at a position such as above thehead of a character graphic, as illustrated in FIG. 12B, for example.

The above thus describes in detail the configuration of the control unit103 according to the present embodiment.

Note that in the description above, a detailed description is given bytaking the case of the information processing device 10 executing a gameapplication, such as an online game, as a specific example, but theinformation correction process as described above is similarlyapplicable to an application that provides a video sharing function ofsharing a video of a space being viewed by a first user with a seconduser.

In a video sharing application as above, information about a space beingviewed by a user wearing a sensor such as a head-mounted camera(hereinafter designated the user A for the sake of convenience) isshared with another user (hereinafter designated the user B for the sakeof convenience).

In this case, the possibility that inappropriate information is includedin the video corresponding to the space being viewed by the user A, andthe possibility that the head or gaze of the user A includesinappropriate movements, are conceivable. In the case in whichinappropriate information is included in the video, similarly to thecase of a game application, by applying a mosaic process to theinappropriate information or removing the relevant information, theinappropriate information can be removed. Also, in the case in which theuser performs a physiological phenomenon such as sneezing, or in thecase of performing a careless movement of one's gaze, inappropriatemovement will be included in the transmitted information. Likewise inthese cases, similarly to the case of a game application, by replacingor moderating the degree of the information, it is possible to concealinappropriate movements.

Furthermore, in a video sharing application as above, it is conceivablefor the user B to use a gesture input device and thereby transmitmovements to the user A indirectly. Likewise in such cases, there is apossibility that unintended movements by the user B will be transmittedto the user A. Likewise in such cases, it is possible to conduct aninformation correction process similar to the case of a gameapplication. For example, in a case in which a camera, motion sensor, orthe like is utilized to monitor the movements of the user B, and aninappropriate movement occurs, by intentionally moderating theinformation transmitted from the gesture input device, the transmissionof inappropriate information to the user A can be prevented.

Returning again to FIG. 4, in the following, the communication controlunit 105 provided in the information processing device 10 according tothe present embodiment will be described.

The communication control unit 105 is realized by components such as aCPU, ROM, RAM, and a communication device, for example. Thecommunication control unit 105 is a processing unit that controlscommunication between the information processing device 10 and theplatform 20 over the network 3. Via the communication control unit 105,the recognition unit 101 and the control unit 103 become able to acquirefrom each platform 20 various types of data and information, such asdata from sensor output and application setting data set by the user,and also become able to transmit to each platform 20 various types ofinformation indicating the execution state of the application, includingnotification information as described above.

The storage unit 107 is realized by components such as RAM and a storagedevice provided in the information processing device 10 according to thepresent embodiment, for example. In the storage unit 107, informationsuch as various parameters and the partial results of processes thatneed to be saved when the information processing device 10 according tothe present embodiment conducts some kind of process, or otherinformation such as various databases and programs, are recorded asappropriate. Particularly, in the storage unit 107, information such asentity data related to an application executed by the informationprocessing device 10, setting data set for such an application by allusers, and user information related to all users utilizing such anapplication are recorded. Components such as the recognition unit 101,the control unit 103, and the communication control unit 105 are able toconduct data read/write processes freely on the storage unit 107 inwhich such various information is stored.

The above thus illustrates an example of the functions of theinformation processing device 10 according to the present embodiment.Each of the above component elements may be realized usinggeneral-purpose members or circuits, but may also be realized inhardware specialized in the function of each component element.Additionally, the functions of each of the component elements may alsobe conducted entirely by a CPU or the like. Consequently, it is possibleto appropriately modify the configuration to be used according to thetechnological level at the time of carrying out the present embodiment.

Note that it is also possible to develop a computer program forrealizing the respective functions of an information processing deviceaccording to the present embodiment as described above, and implementthe computer program in a personal computer or the like. In addition, acomputer-readable recording medium storing such a computer program mayalso be provided. The recording medium may be a magnetic disk, anoptical disc, a magneto-optical disc, or flash memory, for example.Furthermore, the above computer program may also be delivered via anetwork, for example, without using a recording medium.

<Information Processing Method>

Next, an example of the flow of an information processing methodaccording to the present embodiment will be described briefly withreference to FIG. 13. FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example ofthe flow of an information processing method according to the presentembodiment.

In the information processing device 10 according to the presentembodiment, the communication control unit 105 acquires informationrelated to a sensor detection result related to a user movement/state,which is transmitted from each platform 20 (step S101). After that, thecommunication control unit 105 outputs the acquired information relatedto a sensor detection result related to a user movement/state to therecognition unit 101 and the control unit 103.

The recognition unit 101 of the information processing device 10utilizes a recognition technique as described earlier to recognize auser movement or state from the acquired sensor detection result (stepS103). After a recognition result related to a user movement or state isobtained from the sensor detection result, the recognition unit 101outputs the obtained recognition result to the control unit 103.

The control unit 103 of the information processing device 10 referencesthe recognition result from the recognition unit 101, and by conductinga process as described earlier, determines the degree of reflection ofthe information related to a user movement or state onto notificationinformation (step S105). After that, on the basis of the obtaineddetermination result, the control unit 103 checks whether or notinformation related to an inappropriate movement or the like(inappropriate information) exists among the obtained informationrelated to a user movement or state (step S107).

In the case in which inappropriate information is not included among theinformation related to a user movement or state, the control unit 103executes the operations in step S111 below. On the other hand, in thecase in which inappropriate information is included among theinformation related to a user movement or state, the control unit 103conducts a process as described earlier, and corrects the information inaccordance with the sharing target of the information being focused on(step S109). After that, the control unit 103 utilizes the obtainedcorrected information to execute the operations in step S111.

In the case in which inappropriate information is not included among theinformation related to a user movement or state, or after inappropriateinformation included in the information related to a user movement orstate is corrected, the control unit 103 outputs and shares theinformation related to a movement or state of the user being focused onwith other users (step S111).

By conducting such a process, in the information processing methodaccording to the present embodiment, in the case of sharing with othersinformation generated by performing bodily movements or the like, itbecomes possible to moderate the transmission to others of informationgenerated by inappropriate bodily movements or the like.

<Modifications>

Next, several modifications of the information processing device andinformation processing method according to the present embodiment willbe described briefly with reference to FIGS. 14A to 15D. FIGS. 14A to14C are explanatory diagrams that schematically illustrate modificationsof a platform according to the present embodiment. FIGS. 15A to 15D areexplanatory diagrams illustrating examples of the flow of an informationprocessing method according to these modifications.

The foregoing description describes a detail a case in which, in theinformation processing system 1 as illustrated in FIG. 1, therecognition process and the information correction process as above areconducted primarily by the information processing device 10. However, atleast one of either the recognition unit 101 or the control unit 103 ofthe information processing device 10 illustrated in FIG. 4 may also berealized by being distributed across multiple computers, and by havingthese multiple computers cooperate with each other, the recognitionprocess and the information correction process as described above may berealized. In particularly, at least one of either the recognition unit101 or the control unit 103 of the information processing device 10illustrated in FIG. 4 may be realized by being distributed between theinformation processing device 10 and each platform 20, and at least partof the recognition process and the information correction processperformed by the information processing device 10 may also be performedby the platform 20.

For example, the example illustrated in FIG. 14A schematicallyillustrates a case in which, from among the processing units included inthe information processing device 10 illustrated in FIG. 4, thefunctions of the recognition unit 101 are realized by being distributedacross each platform 20. In this case, a recognition unit 221 havingsimilar functions and a similar configuration as the recognition unit101 of the information processing device 10 according to the presentembodiment is realized as one function of the central control unit 201of the platform 20. At this time, the communication control unit 105included in the information processing device 10 functions as anacquisition unit that acquires information indicating a recognitionresult by the recognition unit 221 of the platform 20, for example.

Also, the example illustrated in FIG. 14B schematically illustrates acase in which, from among the processing units included in theinformation processing device 10 illustrated in FIG. 4, the functions ofthe control unit 103 (in particular, the functions of the reflectedcontent determination unit 121 and the information correction unit 123)are realized by being distributed across each platform 20. In this case,an information reflection control unit 223 having similar functions anda similar configuration as the control unit 103 of the informationprocessing device 10 according to the present embodiment is realized asone function of the central control unit 201 of the platform 20. At thistime, the communication control unit 205 included in the platform 20functions as an acquisition unit that acquires information indicating arecognition result by the recognition unit 101 of the informationprocessing device 10, for example.

Furthermore, the example illustrated in FIG. 14C schematicallyillustrates a case in which, from among the processing units included inthe information processing device 10 illustrated in FIG. 4, thefunctions of the recognition unit 101 and the control unit 103 arerealized by being distributed across each platform 20. In this case, arecognition unit 221 having similar functions and a similarconfiguration as the recognition unit 101 of the information processingdevice 10 according to the present embodiment, and an informationreflection control unit 223 having similar functions and a similarconfiguration as the control unit 103 of the information processingdevice 10 according to the present embodiment, are realized as functionsof the central control unit 201 of the platform 20.

As illustrated in FIGS. 14A to 14C, by distributing processes across theinformation processing device 10 and each platform 20, it becomespossible to reduce the load on the information processing device 10 thatacts as a server.

Described with focus on the state of cooperation between the informationprocessing device 10 and each platform 20, the process flow in the caseof conducting a process centered on the information processing device 10as described in the foregoing embodiment becomes like FIG. 15A. Notethat in the following FIGS. 15A to 15D, the number of platforms 20 thatcooperate with the information processing device 10 is taken to be twofor the sake of convenience.

As illustrated in FIG. 15A, in the case of conducting a process centeredon the information processing device 10 that functions as a server, eachof the platforms 20 (platform A and platform B) transmits settinginformation set by each user (user-level setting information) to theinformation processing device 10 in advance (step S201). Also, in theinformation processing device 10, setting information related to allusers acquired from each of the platforms 20 is recorded in the storageunit 107 or the like (step S203).

At this point, for the sake of convenience, suppose that the user Apossessing the platform A sends out certain information by utilizingbodily movements or the like (step S205). Subsequently, this informationis transmitted to the information processing device 10, and theinformation processing device 10 performs a recognition process and, ifnecessary, a correction process on the information, on the basis ofapplication-level determination criteria stored in the storage unit 107or the like, and all setting information from among the users involved(step S207). After that, the information processing device 10 providescorrected information to the platform B possessed by the user B asnotification information (step S209).

In the platform B possessed by the user B, the notification informationprovided by the information processing device 10 is utilized to displaysuch information on a display screen (step S211). With this arrangement,information is shared between the user A and the user B.

In a case as illustrated in FIG. 15A, it is possible for an informationprocessing device 10 designed with high-performance specifications tocarry out almost all processes, but as the number of connected platforms20 increases, the load becomes concentrated on the informationprocessing device 10 functioning as a server.

On the other hand, FIG. 15B illustrates a case in which the process isdistributed across the information processing device 10 and each of theplatforms 20. In this case, suppose that the user A possessing theplatform A sends out certain information by utilizing bodily movementsor the like (step S221). The platform A recognizes and corrects thesent-out information, on the basis of settings for the platform A (inother words, platform-level setting information) recorded in theplatform A (step S223). After that, the platform A performs recognitionand correction on a level specialized for the user A, on the basis ofuser settings (step S225). After that, the platform A transmits theinformation that has been subjected to two stages of recognition andcorrection to the information processing device 10.

The information processing device 10 obtains the information from theplatform A, recognizes and corrects the acquired information again onthe basis of application-level determination criteria and settinginformation stored in the storage unit 107 or the like (step S227), andprovides the information to the platform B as notification information.

In the platform B receiving the provision of notification information,recognition and correction is performed on a level specialized for theuser B, on the basis of user settings (step S229). After that, theplatform B utilizes the corrected information to display suchinformation on a display screen (step S231). With this arrangement,information is shared between the user A and the user B.

In this way, the example illustrated in FIG. 15B illustrates a case ofrecognizing and correcting information centered primarily on theplatform A which is the sender of the information. However, in such acase, since recognition and correction processes are conducted multipletimes in each of the platforms and the information processing device 10,there is a possibility that a delay in the sharing of information mayoccur, depending on the state of resources.

On the other hand, in the example illustrated in FIG. 15C, suppose thatthe user A possessing the platform A sends out certain information byutilizing bodily movements or the like (step S241). The platform Arecognizes the sent-out information, on the basis of settings for theplatform A (in other words, platform-level setting information) recordedin the platform A (step S243). After that, the platform A performsrecognition on a level specialized for the user A, on the basis of usersettings (step S245). After that, the platform A transmits theinformation that has been subjected to two stages of recognition to theinformation processing device 10.

The information processing device 10 obtains the information from theplatform A, recognizes the acquired information again on the basis ofapplication-level determination criteria and setting information storedin the storage unit 107 or the like (step S247), and provides theinformation to the platform B.

In the platform B receiving the provision of information, recognition isperformed on a level specialized for the user B, on the basis of usersettings (step S249). After that, the platform B corrects informationwhile taking into account all recognition results from the platform A,the information processing device 10, and the platform B (step S251).After that, the platform B utilizes the corrected information to displaysuch information on a display screen (step S253). With this arrangement,information is shared between the user A and the user B.

In this way, the example illustrated in FIG. 15C illustrates a case ofcorrecting information centered primarily on the platform B which is thereceiver of the information. In such a case, since the correctionprocess is conducted all together on the platform acting as therecipient of the information, redundant portions can be reduced for thesystem as a whole. However, with such a configuration, the load becomesconcentrated on the platform acting as the recipient of information.

On the other hand, the example illustrated in FIG. 15D illustrates acase in which the information recognition process is distributed acrosseach of the platforms 20, while the correction process is performed bythe information processing device 10. In this case, suppose that theuser A possessing the platform A sends out certain information byutilizing bodily movements or the like (step S261). The platform Arecognizes the sent-out information, on the basis of settings for theplatform A (in other words, platform-level setting information) recordedin the platform A (step S263). After that, the platform A performsrecognition on a level specialized for the user A, on the basis of usersettings (step S265). After that, the platform A transmits theinformation that has been subjected to two stages of recognition to theinformation processing device 10.

The information processing device 10 obtains the information from theplatform A, recognizes the acquired information again on the basis ofapplication-level determination criteria and setting information storedin the storage unit 107 or the like (step S267), and provides theinformation to the platform B.

In the platform B receiving the provision of information, recognition isperformed on a level specialized for the user B on the basis of usersettings (step S269), and the obtained recognition result is transmittedto the information processing device 10.

The information processing device 10 acquires the recognition result bythe platform B, corrects information while taking into account allrecognition results from the platform A, the information processingdevice 10, and the platform B (step S271), and provides the correctedinformation to the platform B as notification information.

After that, the platform B utilizes the notification informationprovided by the information processing device 10 to display suchinformation on a display screen (step S273). With this arrangement,information is shared between the user A and the user B.

With a configuration as illustrated in FIG. 15D, an individual user'sdetermination criteria (that is, setting information) does not have tobe provided to an external device, thereby increasing safety withrespect to the leakage of personal information, and also enabling theinformation correction process to be performed on the informationprocessing device 10 designed with higher-performance specifications.However, since the platform acting as the recipient of informationrequests the information processing device 10 acting as a server toperform the correction process, there is a possibility that a delay inthe sharing of information may occur.

The above thus briefly describes modifications of an informationprocessing device and an information processing method according to thepresent embodiment with reference to FIGS. 14A to 15D.

(Hardware Configuration)

Next, the hardware configuration of the information processing device 10according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be describedin detail with reference to FIG. 16. FIG. 16 is a block diagram forillustrating the hardware configuration of the information processingdevice 10 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

The information processing device 10 mainly include a CPU 901, a ROM903, and a RAM 905. Furthermore, the information processing device 10also includes a host bus 907, a bridge 909, an external bus 911, aninterface 913, a sensor 914, an input device 915, an output device 917,a storage device 919, a drive 921, a connection port 923, and acommunication device 925.

The CPU 901 serves as an arithmetic processing device and a controldevice, and controls the overall operation or a part of the operation ofthe information processing device 10 according to various programsrecorded in the ROM 903, the RAM 905, the storage device 919, or aremovable recording medium 927. The ROM 903 stores programs, operationparameters, and the like used by the CPU 901. The RAM 905 primarilystores programs used in execution of the CPU 901 and parameters and thelike varying as appropriate during the execution. These are connectedwith each other via the host bus 907 configured from an internal bussuch as a CPU bus or the like.

The host bus 907 is connected to the external bus 911 such as a PCI(Peripheral Component Interconnect/Interface) bus via the bridge 909.

The input device 915 is an operation means operated by a user, such as amouse, a keyboard, a touch panel, buttons, a switch and a lever. Also,the input device 915 may be a remote control means (a so-called remotecontrol) using, for example, infrared light or other radio waves, or maybe an externally connected apparatus 929 such as a mobile phone or a PDAconforming to the operation of the information processing device 10.Furthermore, the input device 915 generates an input signal based on,for example, information which is input by a user with the aboveoperation means, and is configured from an input control circuit foroutputting the input signal to the CPU 901. The user can input variousdata to the information processing device 10 and can instruct theinformation processing device 10 to perform processing by operating thisinput device 915.

The output device 917 is configured from a device capable of visually oraudibly notifying acquired information to a user. Examples of suchdevice include display devices such as a CRT display device, a liquidcrystal display device, a plasma display device, an EL display deviceand lamps, audio output devices such as a speaker and a headphone, aprinter, a mobile phone, a facsimile machine, and the like. For example,the output device 917 outputs a result obtained by various processesperformed by the information processing device 10. More specifically,the display device displays, in the form of texts or images, a resultobtained by various processes performed by the information processingdevice 10. On the other hand, the audio output device converts an audiosignal such as reproduced audio data and sound data into an analogsignal, and outputs the analog signal.

The storage device 919 is a device for storing data configured as anexample of a storage unit of the information processing device 10 and isused to store data. The storage device 919 is configured from, forexample, a magnetic storage device such as a HDD (Hard Disk Drive), asemiconductor storage device, an optical storage device, or amagneto-optical storage device. This storage device 919 stores programsto be executed by the CPU 901, and externally obtained various data orthe like.

The drive 921 is a reader/writer for recording medium, and is embeddedin the information processing device 10 or attached externally thereto.The drive 921 reads information recorded in the attached removablerecording medium 927 such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, amagneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory, and outputs the readinformation to the RAM 905. Furthermore, the drive 921 can write in theattached removable recording medium 927 such as a magnetic disk, anoptical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory. Theremovable recording medium 927 is, for example, a DVD medium, an HD-DVDmedium, or a Blu-ray medium. The removable recording medium 927 may be aCompactFlash (CF; registered trademark), a flash memory, an SD memorycard (Secure Digital Memory Card), or the like. Alternatively, theremovable recording medium 927 may be, for example, an IC card(Integrated Circuit Card) equipped with a non-contact IC chip or anelectronic appliance.

The connection port 923 is a port for allowing devices to directlyconnect to the information processing device 10. Examples of theconnection port 923 include a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port, anIEEE1394 port, a SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) port, and thelike. Other examples of the connection port 923 include an RS-232C port,an optical audio terminal, an HDMI (High-Definition MultimediaInterface) port, and the like. By the externally connected apparatus 929connecting to this connection port 923, the information processingdevice 10 directly obtains various data from the externally connectedapparatus 929 and provides various data to the externally connectedapparatus 929.

The communication device 925 is a communication interface configuredfrom, for example, a communication device for connecting to acommunication network 931. The communication device 925 is, for example,a wired or wireless LAN (Local Area Network), Bluetooth (registeredtrademark), a communication card for WUSB (Wireless USB), or the like.Alternatively, the communication device 925 may be a router for opticalcommunication, a router for ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line), amodem for various communications, or the like. This communication device925 can transmit and receive signals and the like in accordance with apredetermined protocol such as TCP/IP on the Internet and with othercommunication devices, for example. The communication network 931connected to the communication device 925 is configured from a networkand the like, which is connected via wire or wirelessly, and may be, forexample, the Internet, a home LAN, infrared communication, radio wavecommunication, satellite communication, or the like.

Heretofore, an example of the hardware configuration capable ofrealizing the functions of the information processing device 10according to the embodiment of the present disclosure has been shown.Each of the structural elements described above may be configured usinga general-purpose material, or may be configured from hardware dedicatedto the function of each structural element. Accordingly, the hardwareconfiguration to be used can be changed as appropriate according to thetechnical level at the time of carrying out the present embodiment.

Note that a hardware configuration capable of realizing the functions ofthe platform 20 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure hasa configuration similar to a hardware configuration capable of realizingthe functions of the information processing device 10 above, and thusdetailed description will be reduced or omitted hereinafter.

The preferred embodiment(s) of the present disclosure has/have beendescribed above with reference to the accompanying drawings, whilst thepresent disclosure is not limited to the above examples. A personskilled in the art may find various alterations and modifications withinthe scope of the appended claims, and it should be understood that theywill naturally come under the technical scope of the present disclosure.

Further, the effects described in this specification are merelyillustrative or exemplified effects, and are not limitative. That is,with or in the place of the above effects, the technology according tothe present disclosure may achieve other effects that are clear to thoseskilled in the art from the description of this specification.

Additionally, the present technology may also be configured as below.

(1)

An information processing device, including:

an acquisition unit that acquires a recognition result indicating atleast one of a user movement or state recognized by a recognition unitutilizing a detection result from one or a plurality of sensors; and

a control unit that, in a case of determining that the recognitionresult indicates a specific user movement or state, controls a degree ofreflection in which information related to the specific user movement orstate is reflected in notification information that transmits theinformation related to the specific user movement or state to a targetdifferent from the user, in accordance with the target.

(2)

The information processing device according to (1), in which

the control unit corrects content of the information related to therecognized user movement or state in accordance with the recognitionresult by the recognition unit, and causes information related to thecorrected user movement or state to be reflected in the notificationinformation.

(3)

The information processing device according to (1) or (2), in which

the control unit selects, in accordance with the recognition result bythe recognition unit, a correction to moderate the content of theinformation related to the user movement or state, to replace thecontent of the information related to the user movement or state withother content, or to conceal at least a portion of the content of theinformation related to the user movement or state.

(4)

The information processing device according to any one of (1) to (3), inwhich

the control unit changes a degree of the correction in accordance with adynamic relationship between the user and the target.

(5)

The information processing device according to any one of (1) to (3), inwhich

the control unit changes a degree of the correction in accordance withsetting information about the degree of reflection for a user on a sideof transmitting the information related to the user movement or state,and setting information about the degree of reflection for a user on aside of receiving the information related to the user movement or state.

(6)

The information processing device according to any one of (1) to (3), inwhich

the control unit changes a degree of the correction in accordance withboth

-   -   a dynamic relationship between a user on a side of transmitting        the information related to the user movement or state and a user        on a side of receiving the information related to the user        movement or state, and    -   setting information about the degree of reflection for the user        on the side of transmitting the information related to the user        movement or state and setting information about the degree of        reflection for the user on the side of receiving the information        related to the user movement or state.        (7)

The information processing device according to any one of (1) to (6), inwhich

the control unit causes an object indicating the degree of reflection ofthe information related to the user movement or state from a first userto a second user to be displayed on a display screen referenced by thefirst user and the second user.

(8)

The information processing device according to any one of (1) to (7), inwhich

the specific user movement or state is at least one of

-   -   a user's bodily movement,    -   a user's facial expression,    -   biological information related to a user, or    -   an odor, sound, or vibration by a user or existing around a        user.        (9)

The information processing device according to any one of (1) to (8), inwhich

the sensor is at least one of a camera, a motion sensor, a barometricpressure sensor, an odor sensor, a vibration sensor, a microphone, anilluminance sensor, or a biological sensor.

(10)

The information processing device according to any one of (1) to (9), inwhich

the target is another user utilizing an application that provides avirtual space shared among a plurality of users.

(11)

The information processing device according to any one of (1) to (9), inwhich

the target is another user utilizing an application that provides avideo sharing function of sharing a video of a space being viewed by afirst user with a second user.

(12)

The information processing device according to any one of (1) to (11),in which

at least one of the recognition unit or the control unit is realized bybeing distributed across a plurality of computers.

(13)

An information processing method, including:

acquiring a recognition result indicating at least one of a usermovement or state recognized by a recognition unit utilizing a detectionresult from one or a plurality of sensors; and

controlling, in a case of determining that the recognition resultindicates a specific user movement or state, a degree of reflection inwhich information related to the specific user movement or state isreflected in notification information that transmits the informationrelated to the specific user movement or state to a target differentfrom the user, in accordance with the target.

(14)

A program for a computer able to acquire a recognition result by arecognition unit that recognizes at least one of a user movement orstate utilizing a detection result from one or a plurality of sensors,the program causing the computer to realize:

an acquisition function that acquires a recognition result recognized bythe recognition unit and indicating at least one of a user movement orstate; and

a control function that, in a case of determining that the recognitionresult indicates a specific user movement or state, controls a degree ofreflection in which information related to the specific user movement orstate is reflected in notification information that transmits theinformation related to the specific user movement or state to a targetdifferent from the user, in accordance with the target.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   1 information processing system-   10 information processing device-   20 platform-   101 recognition unit-   103 control unit-   105 communication control unit-   107 storage unit-   121 reflected content determination unit-   123 information correction unit-   125 application execution unit-   131 information type discrimination unit-   133 relationship determination unit-   135 reflected content decision unit-   201 central control unit-   203 sensor output acquisition unit-   205 communication control unit-   207 output control unit-   209 storage unit-   221 recognition unit-   223 information reflection control unit

1. An information processing device, comprising: an acquisition unitthat acquires a recognition result indicating at least one of a usermovement or state recognized by a recognition unit utilizing a detectionresult from one or a plurality of sensors; and a control unit that, in acase of determining that the recognition result indicates a specificuser movement or state, controls a degree of reflection in whichinformation related to the specific user movement or state is reflectedin notification information that transmits the information related tothe specific user movement or state to a target different from the user,in accordance with the target.
 2. The information processing deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the control unit corrects content of theinformation related to the recognized user movement or state inaccordance with the recognition result by the recognition unit, andcauses information related to the corrected user movement or state to bereflected in the notification information.
 3. The information processingdevice according to claim 2, wherein the control unit selects, inaccordance with the recognition result by the recognition unit, acorrection to moderate the content of the information related to theuser movement or state, to replace the content of the informationrelated to the user movement or state with other content, or to concealat least a portion of the content of the information related to the usermovement or state.
 4. The information processing device according toclaim 2, wherein the control unit changes a degree of the correction inaccordance with a dynamic relationship between the user and the target.5. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein thecontrol unit changes a degree of the correction in accordance withsetting information about the degree of reflection for a user on a sideof transmitting the information related to the user movement or state,and setting information about the degree of reflection for a user on aside of receiving the information related to the user movement or state.6. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein thecontrol unit changes a degree of the correction in accordance with botha dynamic relationship between a user on a side of transmitting theinformation related to the user movement or state and a user on a sideof receiving the information related to the user movement or state, andsetting information about the degree of reflection for the user on theside of transmitting the information related to the user movement orstate and setting information about the degree of reflection for theuser on the side of receiving the information related to the usermovement or state.
 7. The information processing device according toclaim 1, wherein the control unit causes an object indicating the degreeof reflection of the information related to the user movement or statefrom a first user to a second user to be displayed on a display screenreferenced by the first user and the second user.
 8. The informationprocessing device according to claim 1, wherein the specific usermovement or state is at least one of a user's bodily movement, a user'sfacial expression, biological information related to a user, or an odor,sound, or vibration by a user or existing around a user.
 9. Theinformation processing device according to claim 1, wherein the sensoris at least one of a camera, a motion sensor, a barometric pressuresensor, an odor sensor, a vibration sensor, a microphone, an illuminancesensor, or a biological sensor.
 10. The information processing deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the target is another user utilizing anapplication that provides a virtual space shared among a plurality ofusers.
 11. The information processing device according to claim 1,wherein the target is another user utilizing an application thatprovides a video sharing function of sharing a video of a space beingviewed by a first user with a second user.
 12. The informationprocessing device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of therecognition unit or the control unit is realized by being distributedacross a plurality of computers.
 13. An information processing method,comprising: acquiring a recognition result indicating at least one of auser movement or state recognized by a recognition unit utilizing adetection result from one or a plurality of sensors; and controlling, ina case of determining that the recognition result indicates a specificuser movement or state, a degree of reflection in which informationrelated to the specific user movement or state is reflected innotification information that transmits the information related to thespecific user movement or state to a target different from the user, inaccordance with the target.
 14. A program for a computer able to acquirea recognition result by a recognition unit that recognizes at least oneof a user movement or state utilizing a detection result from one or aplurality of sensors, the program causing the computer to realize: anacquisition function that acquires a recognition result recognized bythe recognition unit and indicating at least one of a user movement orstate; and a control function that, in a case of determining that therecognition result indicates a specific user movement or state, controlsa degree of reflection in which information related to the specific usermovement or state is reflected in notification information thattransmits the information related to the specific user movement or stateto a target different from the user, in accordance with the target.